The story of Lin Doust is a powerful illustration of The Y WA’s commitment to building connection and improving wellbeing in community: a mission it has been pursuing for 181 years.
The global youth organisation we know today as The Y was founded in 1844 in London as the Young Men’s Christian Association or YMCA.
The not for profit expanded geographically to become a global movement, with YMCAs emerging across Europe, North America, and Australia in the 1850s.
The Y arrived in Western Australia in 1902 with its first location being established in the Eastern Goldfields and a second location opening in 1908 in Perth on a donated lot of land on Murray Street.
A few decades later, schoolboy Lin Doust walked through the doors of The Y, sparking the start of what would become a lifelong relationship with the organisation.
Mr Doust joined as a member in 1940 when he was 10 years old and began volunteering when he reached his teenage years.
This experience gave shape to a life dedicated to volunteering.
Lin Doust with The Y WA Life Members.
Mr Doust spent more than 70 years volunteering with The Y, from painting campsites and playing sport, to helping establish The Y’s Men’s clubs in China and serving on national boards.
The Y WA chief executive Tim McDonald said Mr Doust’s story was a powerful reminder of what The Y offered to people from all backgrounds.
“The Y was a constant in Lin’s life. It gave him purpose, friendship, and the chance to give back through childhood, adulthood and into his later years,” Dr McDonald said.
“Lin was never a paid staff member. He chose to give his time, energy and heart to the organisation while raising a family and staying active in his community.
“His journey shows that The Y is not just a service provider, it’s a community where you can belong, grow and flourish, no matter where you are in life.”
Mr Doust has been pivotal in preserving The Y’s history and for many years, he maintained the organisation’s museum room at its head office.
The museum room is filled with memorabilia including jackets, badges, signs, photos and trophies – most of which Mr Doust personally collected – and in 2018, it was renamed the Lin Doust Room in recognition of his contributions.
The Y WA's museum room is filled with memorabilia including jackets, badges, signs, photos and trophies.
The Y WA has an annual staff award that is also named after Mr Doust and each year he proudly returns to present it in-person to the deserving winner.
He was nominated for WA’s Volunteer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 after more than seven decades of involvement with The Y WA.
Now in his 90s, Mr Doust’s presence is less frequent, but his legacy lives on through the people and programs he helped shape.
Evolving for the youth
Throughout its long history, The Y has continuously evolved as it strives to support children and young people to flourish.
Part of this evolution included an Australia-wide rebrand in 2019, as the organisation transformed from ‘YMCA’ to ‘The Y’ to reflect a more inclusive identity and a broader community focus.
While the name has changed, the mission has not and today, The Y WA is still guided by a social impact framework grounded in positive psychology and aimed at helping young people through four key outcomes: belonging, competence, independence, and connectedness.
These principles are embedded in The Y WA’s services, which are delivered across various communities such as early learning, out-of-school-hours care, recreation, vocational education, and targeted youth programs.
These services engage more than 570,000 participants each year.
One of these services is the Y School in Mirrabooka, which provides a safe and supportive environment for young people who are disengaged from mainstream education.
Liz Parker leads the Y School as executive principal, but her connection to The Y stretches back more than 100 years ago to her great-grandfather.
Liz Parker's great-grandfather served in WWI in medical tents provided by the YMCA.
During World War One, Ms Parker’s great-grandfather served in the British Army’s medical corps and was stationed in Egypt along with the YMCA, which was providing medical tents, supplies and services for frontline soldiers.
“The med tents he worked in were provided by the YMCA,” Ms Parker said.
“Even then, the Y was quietly doing what it’s always done: showing up where support is needed most.”
Ms Parker is carrying that legacy forward, as she guides the Y School to provide youth with much-needed care, structure and opportunity.
“The Y was there for my great-grandfather when he needed support,” Ms Parker said.
“And now, I get to be part of that same tradition helping young people find their place, their purpose and their future.”
As The Y steps into its 182nd year, its story is best told through people like Mr Doust and Ms Parker who remind us that the heart of the organisation has always been about showing up, evolving with purpose, and supporting children and young people to flourish.
You can read more about The Y’s historical evolution here.
